Because Things Never Goes As Planned
by buttonfly
Summary: Do you ever get the feeling that nothing ever goes the way you’ve planned?" Sokka's POV, future-fic, Tokka and Kataang but not super shippy
1. Breaking Free

Do you ever get the feeling that nothing ever goes the way you've planned? I certainly have. Most of my life has been that way, in fact. Starting with that one fateful day about eight years ago when Katara and I found a strange little boy trapped inside an iceberg. Ever since then, my life has been full of unexpected twists and turns. I've come to live with it, though: having things go wrong is almost the norm. Although, that still doesn't make my most recent fiasco any less bizarre…

Chapter one: Breaking Free

"Stand back!" I heard Toph shout from the other side of the wall. I did as I was told.

"Hurry!" I called back to her. If she and the others would get caught, they'd be chucked into hail alongside me. And without Aang around to use his position to get us out of trouble, things could turn ugly.

There was a loud rumbling sound as the wall of the cell began to shake, and with one blow from the Earth Bender on the other side, it collapsed into a heap of ruble. I was left standing in a cloud of dust, blinking in the scene before me:

Toph stood in the middle of the group, her hands still raised from having just demolished half the town jail. On her left stood my very pregnant younger sister looking worried and nervous. And on Toph's right…

"Why is he here?" I asked, nodding my head toward Zuko as I climbed over the pile of broken bricks out into the night.

"Nice to see you, too," he replied dryly. Even though we'd worked together to win the war, I've never felt particularly fond of the man.

"The Fire Lord," Katara said pointedly, waddling over to brush off my dusty clothes, "Was here for a visit when we found out you'd been arrested."

"Okay, we can catch up later. But right now, we'd better get out of here before someone catches us busting Sokka out of jail," Toph suggested.

Eager to do so, we began making our way away from the jail and toward Toph's parents' house where we were currently staying. You see, Aang was off working with the Earth King on the Ba Sing Se reconstruction project, and he didn't feel it appropriate for his nine-month-pregnant wife to travel across the continent on a flying bison. I can't say I blame him, although Katara wasn't too happy to have been left behind. But eventually, she agreed to come and stay with Toph and I at the Bei Fong's house. Which was where we were located because of Toph's mother's persistent requests that her daughter stay at home in the week before her wedding. Which was the main reason they had to come free me in the first place- because a wedding doesn't go so well if the groom is locked up in jail. Get it? Yeah, me neither.

"We have to sneak around back," Toph told us as we neared the estate.

"Why? This is your house!" Katara exclaimed.

"Yeah, but my parents don't know that we left, and I don't think they'd appreciate it if they found out my fiancée was sent to jail," Toph clarified.

"Why were you arrested in the first place?" Zuko asked me.

"It's a long story," I told him. Even in the dark, I could see the amusement in his eyes. "Come on, Katara, I'll give you a hand," I told her, trying to change the subject. She allowed me to hoist her up onto the wall, and the rest of us followed. As soon as we were in the garden, we began to hastily make for the house. If we got into our rooms without any disturbances, we would be able to wake up like usual, and no one would suspect a thing. At least, not until the police realized I was missing and came to retrieve me.

"Yeah, well, we'll deal with that in the morning," Toph said when I voiced this concern, "Goodnight."

She pulled me to her and kissed me briefly before tiptoeing off to her room. Oh yeah, did I mention that her parents still won't let us sleep together?

"Goodnight Sokka, goodnight Zuko," Katara whispered, following Toph down the hall towards their rooms.

"So why-?" Zuko started to ask again when the women had gone.

"Goodnight," I said, too loudly, stopping that conversation before it began. Then I left for my room.

Fortunately that night, no police came to arrest me. However, something was bound to go haywire, and so it was only natural for a cry to be heard down the hall, waking all the occupants of the house.

"What's the matter?" I asked, still half asleep as I dashed out of my room. Zuko was emerging at the same time as I, and we both ran down the hall toward the source of the shout.

As I approached the hall where the scream had issued from, Toph sprinted from Katara's room looking frantic. Her parents and a few sleepy looking servants were running up behind us. Afraid that someone had attacked the house, I instinctively reached for my boomerang- then remembered that it had been confiscated after, well, when I was put into jail.

"What's the matter?" Toph's mother repeated my question.

"It's Katara!" Toph exclaimed, "She says the baby's coming!"


	2. Connections

Chapter 2: Connections

Now, if you've ever been in such a situation as this when your sister- or perhaps your wife or a close female kin of some sort- goes into labor, you'll know exactly what I was feeling at that moment. And if you're not aware of the situation, I can sum up my emotions in one word:

"Ahhhhh!" I screamed, because I didn't know what else to do. Mrs. Bei Fong and the female servants pushed past me and joined Toph in running into the room. This left myself, a guard, my fiancée's father, and the Fire Lord standing in the hallway outside my sister's room. None of us really had the slightest clue of what to do. And things were getting more and more awkward by the second.

"Should we go in?" asked Toph's father.

"I don't know," Zuko replied. I would have too, but I felt like my mouth wouldn't be able to form comprehendible words, so I kept it shut.

"What should I do, sir?" asked the guard of either Mr. Bei Fong or Zuko. They were both "sirs."

"I don't know," Zuko replied again. Apparently everyone- male anyway- felt a bit flustered about the whole situation. I imagined that if Aang were here, he would- wait, Aang!

"Ah!" I screamed again.

"What is it?" asked Mr. Bei Fong.

"Aang! He's not here! And she's having his baby!" I shouted, finding my voice very suddenly.

"He can't get all the way back from Ba Sing Se tonight- he'll never make it on time!" Zuko exclaimed. That was true; unless Aang would have left the city this morning at some point, he'd never be able to make it all the way here before the baby was born.

"But he can't miss this!" I cried, "Couldn't Katara have-?"

I was cut off by a lady's voice from inside the room, "Someone get a doctor!"

Ignoring the fact that I was still wanted by the law, I sprinted down the hallway, took the stairs three at a time to the foyer, and lunged for the door. But just as I threw it open and made to dash out, I ran headfirst into someone stepping up to the door.

"Watch it, Sokka," Aang said with an entertained looking smile.

"Ah!" once again. Only this time it was with joy that my path was flipped around. I practically strangled Aang in a bearhug.

"What the-?!" he asked, obviously startled by my sudden action. Then I realized I was wasting time.

"Aang! You have to get in there! Katara's having the baby!" I shouted at him. His glider dropped to the ground, matching the action of his lower jaw.

"Ahhhh!" he cried. See, you know what I'm talking about.

"Go!" I ordered, pushing him into the foyer. I then proceeded to rush out of the house, across the courtyard, out the front gate, down the street, and straight into the first building I spotted. Which just so happened to be the police station. It really couldn't have gotten more perfect, could it?

"You!" the officer at the front table shouted when he spotted me. I suppose I was easily recognizable, considering I hadn't taken the time to shed my horrible grey prison suit. How stupid could I be?!

"I know, sir, I know I'm not supposed to be out here but-," I started to explain. But he didn't want to hear it. Leaping up from the desk, the officer grabbed hold of me, and pulled me down.

"You are in so much trouble, mister," he told me as he shackled my hands. I wasn't even resisting, because I knew it would get me nowhere but into deeper doo doo.

"But- but- honestly, my sister's having a baby! And I just need to find a doctor! And if you could please help me, I'll come back here as soon as the baby's born, but I need to get back there-," I attempted to reason.

"What kind of idiot do you take me for?" the man asked. Even I had to realize how stupid I must have sounded. But just like Aang, I couldn't miss this event for the world.

"Please!" I begged, "Please just take me to a doctor. She needs a doctor! I'll do extra time afterward I swear, but I need to get back there! Back to the Bei Fong's!"

Suddenly, his restraint on me slackened slightly. "The Bei Fong's?" he asked. I nodded, feeling helpless, but strangely hopeful as things seemed to be starting to turn around again.

"Yes sir," I told him.

"How do you know the Bei Fong family?" he asked.

"She's my fiancée- Toph Bei Fong. We were supposed to get married next week. And my sister, Katara, she's married to the Avatar. And she's having their baby right now! And they're all at the Bei Fong estate! And I need to get back there!" I exclaimed.

"The Avatar?" the officer repeated. I nodded frantically. He regarded me suspiciously for a moment, in which all I could do was breathe heavily and try not to scream again. Finally, he sighed.

"I'll tell you what," he said, releasing his death grip on my arm, "I will take you to a doctor, and we'll go and help your sister until she has her baby. Then you're coming back here to serve a double sentence."

I couldn't believe my ears. I wanted to hug the officer, too. Although I decided that that might be best left undone. I did, however, grin broadly.

"Thank, thank you sir!" I cried.

"Yeah, well, this is only because you're involved with the Bei Fong's and the Avatar," he told me, "Don't start expecting any special treatment here the rest of the time."

"No, of course not," I agreed.

The officer grabbed a hold of my shackles and led me to the door. "Right then," he said, "Let's go find a doctor."


	3. Uncle Sokka

Chapter Three: Uncle Sokka

Around half an hour later, the three of us- the doctor and the officer leading me in handcuffs- entered the front doors of the Bei Fong mansion.

"Where is the girl?" the doctor asked. She was a short, plump, and severe woman who obviously meant business.

"Follow me," I told her, and began to jog up the stairs as fast as I could with the policeman attached to my wrists.

"Sokka!" Zuko exclaimed when he saw my small army stampeding up the hallway toward Katara's room.

"Fire Lord Zuko!" the police officer exclaimed, bowing.

"Oh yeah," I said casually, "Did I forget to mention that he's here too?"

"Let me through!" the doctor ordered, pushing the crowd outside the door aside. O decided to follow her in, and brought my police charm bracelet with me. He, however, released me of my handcuffs and stepped off into the furthest corner of the room, apparently finding it secure enough in this room for now.

"Sokka, what's going on? Who are these people?" Toph asked as soon as I was in the room. All the women from earlier were still inside, and now Aang crouched next to the bed, squeezing Katara's hand. The doctor pushed him aside and approached my sister.

"That's the doctor," I told Toph, "And the other one is the police officer. I um, kind of ran back into him."

"What happened with the police now?" Aang asked, approaching us. He was sweating and looked about ready to pass out. I couldn't blame him, I felt the same.

"I was arrested," I told him bluntly.

"What for?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Well-, " I was about to recount my tale to him, when Katara cried out. He jumped and rushed back over to her bedside.

"He's such a good husband," Toph said quietly to me. I almost felt guilty. What kind of husband was I to be if I was going about, getting arrested?

"Well, don't expect me to be doing that for you," I told her. When she cocked her head curiously, I clarified, "Because I probably will have fainted already by this point."

She smiled, "Come on, let's find out if we can help at all."

The two of us, and Aang when the doctor decided he was being too much of a nuisance, were sent to fetch water and towels for the next few hours. The sun had risen and was on its way up the sky by the time we had a chance to rest. Although rest is probably the wrong word, because Katara was obviously in excessive pain and was almost constantly screaming or crying. Toph and I had to run double when Aang took to sitting on the bed behind his wife's head, and grasping her shoulders from there. Although, whether his knuckles were white from supporting her or himself was entirely unknown. The police man seemed to have dozed off in the corner, but whenever I approached the door to retrace another pitcher of water or such, he would dart over and escort me around the house. Every now and then Zuko would step into the room, see what was going on, look queasy, and leave. And the whole time, I was a nervous wreck; driving everyone crazy with a stream of paranoid comments and questions.

And then, just about as suddenly as this whole frenzy of baby-having began, it ended. And by ended, I mean the baby was finally born. I would explain it to you in graphic detail, but, as I'd predicted, I dropped cold to the floor almost immediately. Go figure.

"Sokka! SOKKA!" someone was shouting my name in my face. I realized, without opening my eyes, that I was laying on the ground. And the back of my head was sore from where it had hit the ground.

"He's awake," came Toph's voice from the other side of the room. I slowly opened my eyes, whoever had been yelling at me backed off.

"Sorry about that," I said weakly, feeling my face brighten with embarrassment. I climbed to my feet. I was now standing facing the doctor, the police officer, Mrs. Bei Fong, and Zuko- who's stepping back made it obvious that he had been the one yelling. Everyone seemed to be much more calm now, so apparently I'd been out for quite a while.

"Sokka, come here," Aang beckoned from behind me. I turned and saw him sitting next to Katara on the bed. She looked up at me and smiled. And then I noticed the tiny bundle in her arms.

It felt surreal as I made my way over to the bedside. The feeling I was experiencing upon seeing the baby was unimaginable. I was suddenly so happy, and so proud- even though I'd really had nothing to do with the baby's existence. A huge, watery grin spread across my face.

"We're naming him after Monk Gyatso," Katara told my quietly. So it was a boy. My little nephew, brand new into the world. I held out my hands, and the blanketed infant was placed into them. I cradled him against my chest, feeling his tiny features stir as he slept. He blinked his eyes open. They were a soft, stormy grey.

"He's got your eyes," I said to Aang. The Avatar grinned at me and nodded. I could tell he was feeling what I felt, tenfold. Well, obviously.

"And our hair," I added to Katara. She let out a laugh. The baby shifted in his wrappings, and nodded back off to sleep. I softly handed him back to his parents, once again blinking dampness out of my eyes.

Suddenly, I felt a pressure around my waist, and realized that Toph now stood with her arm around me. It rushed back to me that there were still other people in the room. A lot of other people. One of whom wanted to drag me off to prison.

"I don't want to go to jail," I murmured to Toph, burying my face in her hair. Just that action alone made the statement even truer. And on top of everything else, I felt guilty. Guilty that I was pretty much abandoning her at the altar, since the wedding was less than a week away now. Guilty that I'm going to pass out at our own baby's birth. And strangely guilty about what I'd done to get me into this whole mess in the first place.

"Well too bad," the police said. Apparently he'd heard me. And he'd obviously not forgotten about our little agreement. "You're coming with me."


	4. Not Weird

Chapter 4: Not weird...

"Wait!" Aang called suddenly, getting up from the bed and rushing over to where I stood. The officer stopped in the middle of attaching my handcuffs.

"What is it, sir?" the police asked.

"You can't arrest this man," Aang said, grasping me by the shoulder. Once again, my ability to determine what's happening thrown way out of whack.

"Why not?" the police and I asked at the same time.

"Because- because-," Aang stammered. He seemed to be having a hard time coming up with an important-sounding excuse.

"Because," Zuko interrupted, stepping into the conversation, "He has been declared officially immune by order of the Fire Nation."

So maybe I'm a little harsh on the guy… Okay, he totally saved my pathetic butt. But that still doesn't mean I've got to act particularly friendly towards him!

"Yes!" Aang exclaimed, catching on to the idea, "And by the Avatar as well!"

Behind me, I heard Toph's mother whisper to her, "Can they do that?"

"I have no idea," Toph replied quietly, "But they might as well try."

"Yes, well," the police stammered. He seemed to have been backed into a corner, unable to find a way to take me away now.

"Just let him go," Zuko said, sounding exasperated. The police sighed.

"Very well, your majesty," he replied. He bowed to each Zuko and Aang, and backed out of the room.

"May I escort you out?" came the a servant's voice from the hall.

I exhaled, and realized that I'd been holding my breath the whole time. Relief washed over me, and I felt myself smiling.

"Thank you," I said to both the men who had just saved me from a very nasty situation.

"Any time, Sokka," Aang said with a grin. He then hurried back over to his wife and son. I saw Katara laughing quietly and shaking her head.

"Officially immune?" I repeated to Zuko, just now realizing how ridiculous that sounded.

"It's the first thing I could think of," he replied.

"Yeah, well, I guess I owe you big time now," I told him.

"Not really," he said. I raised my eyebrows. What he'd done seemed to require pretty big payback in my mind. "I just want to know why you were attested in the first place."

"Oh, that," I said.

"You might as well tell him, Sokka, we're all going to find out sooner or later anyway," Katara said.

"Yeah, but it's not really something to be proud of," I muttered.

"You mean it was that bad?!" Aang asked, looking horrified.

"No," Toph answered for me, "He probably means that it was such a pathetic reason that he can't even brag about it."

Everyone laughed, though I knew what she'd said was not far from the truth. I also knew that if I didn't tell them the whole story first, town gossip would get around and everyone would find out anyway. Although if it were to become a huge game of whisper down the lane, the story might become a bit more dramatic than, well, what actually happened.

"So what did you do?" Mrs. Bei Fong asked, somewhat suspiciously if you ask me. I guess I can't blame her; I'd want to find out the story behind my future son-in-law's arrest if I were in her shoes.

"Well it started with Katara," I told everyone. She looked curious, so I continued, "You know pregnant women and their weird cravings, well, she wanted some honey-roasted leche nuts really badly. She kept insisting that I go out and get her some; so I was on my way to the market to find some honey-roasted leche nuts, and well, there was this old woman crossing the street next to me. And I, being the good guy I am, offered to help her cross the road. But she was almost deaf, so she misunderstood me and thought I was trying to steal her bag. So then she started whacking me with her cane, and it really hurt! Anyway, I was getting beat up by this old lady in the middle of the sidewalk, and it was making a huge scene since she was screaming that I was trying to mug her, so these policemen come running over. Of course, I started thanking them for saving me from this crazy old lady, but they thought I was attacking her. And then, well, I was arrested for harassing and beating and old woman."

As I expected, my story was responded to with a roar of laughter from everyone who'd heard it. And although it didn't do anything to boost my self-confidence, I did allow myself to grin a little at my rotten luck.

"Sokka, only you would get smacked down by and old lady," Aang laughed.

"She was vicious! She probably could have taken you, too!" I exclaimed.

"You just keep telling yourself that," Toph told me with a grin. Once again, she was at my side, hugging me around the waist. It felt a lot better now that I knew I wasn't going to be dragged off to prison at any given moment.

"Well not to break up this happy moment," Zuko interrupted my thoughts, "But we've been awake for twenty-four hours, and I'd personally like to get some sleep before I get back to _my_ wife."

"So you did marry Mai after all!" Katara exclaimed happily, Zuko nodded proudly.

"And I really think Katara and the baby deserve some sleep," Aang added. To emphasize his point, it seemed, my nephew yawned largely and stirred in his mother's arms.

"That is a good idea," Mrs. Bei Fong agreed.

Everyone took their turns congratulating Katara and Aang- probably for the second time, but I wouldn't know, since I'd been unconscious- and saying "good morning" before leaving for bed. I was the last of the visitors left in the room, and approached my family slowly.

"I just can't believe it," I admitted to my sister, looking again at the tiny baby. She smiled at me again, and I realized that she looked really tired.

"Well, goodnight Sokka," Aang said. He seemed so content where he was, next to his beautiful little family.

"Thanks again," I told him. I had a feeling I'd be doing that a lot, especially as the wedding got closer and I realized how lucky I was to not be in jail, "Goodnight."

I leaned over and kissed the top of my sister's head, then softly petted my nephew's thin brown hair. With one more nod to Aang, I left the room. Toph must have been waiting for me, because she was still standing right outside the bedroom door. I grabbed her hand, and we started walking down the hall toward our rooms.

"It's just so weird," she said to me quietly.

"What is?" I asked.

"Everything," she replied, "This day! I mean, you getting arrested and Zuko showing up and then the baby and Aang coming at the perfect time and- I mean, I would have never expected so much to happen all at once."

"I don't think it was weird at all," I told her. And it was true, this day had been different, but, as far as my life goes, not really _weird_.

"And why not?" she asked.

"Because," I replied. We'd come to a halt outside her bedroom door. My mind quickly flashed back to earlier in the day, and in the same second, a million other times when my life just seemed to be out of control. It's funny, really, how fast your brain can work. But I guess that's not really my point…

I couldn't keep a grin off of my face as I concluded, "Things never goes as planned."

_Fin._

Author's note: Yeah, I probably should have put this at the beginning, but: I don't own Avatar (I wish I did) or Sokka (I really wish I did) or anyone else from the show, etc. etc. etc. So, there you go. Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated!


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